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just a sampling of the useful, timely and
practical ‘Quick Tips’ you can expect in every issue of... |
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Quick Tip |
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Keeping Them
Even Longer
If you receive roses
for Valentine’s Day (or any special occasion), don’t throw them
out when they start to droop. You can dry about any flower you
receive or grow, including: daisies, baby’s breath, coneflowers,
statice and others, as well as roses.
Here’s a simple way to keep flowers (almost)
forever. Tie the roses tightly into a bunch with a piece of string
or a rubber band. Hang upside down in a cool, dark,
not-humid location. Closets (suspended on hangers), attics,
garages (that don’t freeze) are all good candidates.
It doesn’t take very long for flowers to dry.
You must dry them before they start falling apart, but after
you’ve had time to enjoy them. Consider them "dry" in a couple of
weeks.
Place the dried flowers in jars, baskets or
hang bundles. Tie ribbon around the bunch – or experiment with
arrangements and designs of your own. If they are kept out "in the
open," they will accumulate dust – no matter how clean your house
is! To "dust," simply blow on them gently every few weeks. If they
start to look a little "ratty," put them in a sealed, dry jar to
keep even longer. |
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Quick Tip |
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When to Prune Flowering Shrubs
One of the most confusing aspects of garden maintenance is when to
prune shrubs. Pruning is important for the health and appearance
of the shrub, but it’s important to time the task correctly for
each variety.
A handy rule of thumb to guide your pruning
schedule: If a shrub blooms after May 15, you should prune it in
late winter or early spring so that it can produce the optimum
summer blooms. If a shrub blooms before May 15, you should not
prune it until it has finished flowering. |
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Quick Tip |
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Irrigation Hose Help
I use both drip
and soaker hoses throughout my garden. To keep
the female hose connectors up and out of the dirt and debris, I
build supports for them.
Select treated lumber scraps,
approximately 2½-inches wide and 12-inches long. Cut a ¾-inch wide
by ¾-inch deep notch in one end to hold the hose – and a sharp
point on the other end to make driving the support into the ground
easier. |
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Quick Tip |
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Don't panic when immature fruit starts dropping
from fruit trees. This is commonly seen with peaches, pears, plums
and apples.
That’s nature’s way of balancing the amount of
fruit produced with available water and nutrients. Sometimes
called "June Drop," any remaining fruit will be healthier and
larger. |
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Quick Tip |
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Uncomposted
Animal Waste
Do not use uncomposted (raw) animal waste to amend
soil around edible plants like asparagus, lettuce, radishes,
spinach, strawberries and rhubarb for health reasons.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid any crop where
you eat leaves or stalks. E. coli bacteria is easily picked up in
such foods when prepared for eating.
We like to let it set at least a season – or use
it for other crops. And our corn loves it. |
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Quick Tip |
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Mark Tulip Spots
Now!
The best time to determine where additional spring
bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, should be planted is when the
bed or row is in full bloom. Unfortunately, by planting time in
the fall and all debris has been removed, there won’t be a trace
of where the existing bulbs are located.
Mark planting locations with sturdy, easy-to-read
markers while the bed is in full bloom. Also identify the colors
that will compliment the existing bulbs. Come fall, planting will
be a whiz. |
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Quick Tip |
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Fertilizing
Strawberries
Fertilize strawberries in early August to aid in
flower bud development. Apply a cup of ammonium nitrate (33-0-0)
to 100 feet of row. This will benefit next year’s June berries and
this fall’s production of ever-bearing and dayneutral varieties.
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Fruit Tree
Care |
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Wait until early
August to remove new watersprouts from fruit trees. It helps
prevent regrowth. Waterspouts are "suckers" that grow near the
base of the tree. |
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Quick Tip |
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'Know' the Grass
Clippings Before You Mulch
If your lawn has been treated with herbicides,
research indicates you should wait three mowings (about two to
three weeks) before using grass clippings for mulch around
sensitive plants. Much depends on the amount of rain that falls to
wash off any residue and the type of herbicide used.
During "no rain" periods or in low-moisture
climates, extra caution should be used. On sensitive plants – like
tomatoes – it may not be worth the risk to use them at all.
Some herbicides, like Roundup®, leave no harmful
residue on plant leaves. |
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